Unpatched Firefox 1.5 exploit made public

Cnet ^ | 12/08/2005 | Dawn Kawamoto

[zeugma]

Exploit code for the latest version of open-source browser Firefox was published Wednesday, potentially putting users at risk of a denial-of-service attack.

The exploit code takes advantage of a bug in the recently released Firefox 1.5, running on Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Firefox, which initially debuted over a year ago, has moved swiftly to capture 8 percent of the browser market.

The latest Firefox flaw exists in the history.dat file, which stores information from Web sites users have visited with the Firefox 1.5 browser, according to a posting on the Internet Storm Center, which monitors online threats.

"If the topic of a page is crafted to be long enough, it will crash the browser each time it is started after going to such a page," according to the Internet Storm Center posting. "Once this happens, Firefox will be unable to be started until you erase the history.dat file manually."

In testing Firefox 1.5 without a system running McAfee security software, the Firefox 1.5 browser would stall and not respond to a user's mouse, said Johannes Ullrich, chief research officer for the Sans Institute, which runs the Internet Storm Center.

"Users have to kill out of the browser and start over again. This stalled browser creates a DOS (denial of service) condition," Ullrich said.

Packet Storm, the security group that initially published the proof-of-concept exploit code, noted that in addition to the potential denial-of-service attack that could follow a buffer overflow, systems may also be subject to a malicious execution of code.

Ullrich, however, said while the potential may exist, it has not been proven either way that malicious code could be executed.

Mozilla Foundation, which released Firefox, said it was not able to confirm the browser would crash or be at risk of a DOS attack, after visiting certain Web sites. And Mozilla has not received any reports from users of such a problem, said Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering for Mozilla Corp.

He added that Firefox 1.5 can be slugglish on its next start-up, due to a bug in the history.dat, but it is not a security problem.

"We have gotten no independent verification that it crashes (Firefox), but there have been a lot of attempts to try," Schroepfer said.  

Correction: This story incorrectly stated the affiliation of Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's results in verifying the Firefox 1.5 flaw, and the nature of the problem. Schroepfer is vice president of engineering with Mozilla Corp., and Mozilla has not been able to verify its browser can crash and lead to a denial-of-service condition. The problem itself was not a security vulnerability but actually a flaw in the browser.

[Golden Eagle]

Just more of your lies, obviously.

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=gates%2C+william&txtState=WA&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&Order=N

[ShadowAce]

From your link--"Total for this search: $70,875"

From FLAMING DEATH's search--Microsoft contributed 10 times the amount at $704,702

So take some solace that they are indeed contributing to the Repiblican Party. But they're trying to elect Democrats.

[Golden Eagle]

Try $1,594,135

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/contrib.asp?Cmte=RPC&Cycle=2000

and $1,942,751

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/contrib.asp?Cmte=RPC&Cycle=2002

out for size why don't you?

[FLAMING DEATH]

I don't care if it was one damn dollar. None of my money is going through my software to the Democrats. You can't say the same.

PS. You can't discredit my source as a lie by posting from the same source. That's a weak tactic that you use pretty often. It doesn't help you.

[Golden Eagle]

Careful your beard doesn't catch on fire there, flamer.

[ShadowAce]

Careful your beard doesn't catch on fire there, flamer.

OK. I can't face up to such eloquent, logical, and indisputable logic. You've convinced me that I'm wrong.

If you'd used that argument earlier, we could've saved all of us a lot of heartache and sorrow.

[FLAMING DEATH]

Poor guy. That's all he's got left...posting little cartoon pictures to try to salvage some small victory out of his own defeat.

He's tried to paint me as a communist, when in fact he's the only one who's software dollars go to China. He's called me a Democrat sympathizer, yet he's the one who's money goes to the Dems.

I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a hateful hypocrite.

[VOA]

bump

[Golden Eagle]

he's the only one who's software dollars go to China.

How's that? My software dollars don't go to China, but you do support China and Cuba and Vietnam getting free software. Seems pretty simple to me.

He's called me a Democrat sympathizer

No I didn't, I said you behaved just like one. Lot worse.

[FLAMING DEATH]

Thanks for your help, Golden Eagle!

Thanks, Golden Eagle!

[Golden Eagle]

Here's those links he never responded to, you're welcome to try as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x665385

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/1736/531

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1617712,00.asp?kc=EWNKT0209KTX1K0100440

http://ianmurdock.com/?p=54

http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=552

http://zgp.org/linux-elitists/p05210612bb7d87639a93@[192.168.1.101].html

http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/news/article.php?story=20050624042207848&mode=print

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/42700029

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/5279

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7239

http://asia.cnet.com/news/software/printfriendly.htm?AT=39146335-39001094t-39000001c

http://slashdot.org/articles/99/11/10/1457205.shtml

http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/05/05/19/1213245.shtml?tid=106&tid=219

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/10/30/1435248.shtml

http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/2/3822

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-08-30-011-26-NW-LL-PB

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/05/01/1148227.shtml?tid=103&tid=99

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/print?TYPE=story&AT=2133230-39020381t-10000002c

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,104039,src,ov,00.asp

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-10-20-open-source-mass_x.htm

http://www.newsforge.com/business/04/02/27/2329240.shtml

[FLAMING DEATH]

"How's that? My software dollars don't go to China, but you do support China and Cuba and Vietnam getting free software. Seems pretty simple to me."

Sure. I guess when you buy Microsoft, you call Bill and tell him you're sending a couple hundred his way...see to it that it DOESN'T end up as part of Microsoft's multimillion dollar investment in China, right?

" No I didn't, I said you behaved just like one. Lot worse."

Yeah, right. Put your money where your mouth is, loser.

[FLAMING DEATH]

Ahhh...the skipping CD routine again.

At this point, why don't you just get a trained monkey to pound on the keyboard for you? It'd be more coherent and far more interesting to boot.

[Golden Eagle]

Howard Dean? You mean the same leftist that calls his campaign "open source politics"? The same guy who's campaign manager used to work for a Linux company? The same guy that runs all his servers on open source? The same guy that named a DNC website "DemZilla"? That Howard Dean?

http://www.demzilla.org

http://ianmurdock.com/?p=54

http://zgp.org/linux-elitists/p05210612bb7d87639a93@[192.168.1.101].html

http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/news/article.php?story=20050624042207848&mode=print

[FLAMING DEATH]

"Howard Dean? You mean the same leftist that calls his campaign "open source politics"? The same guy who's campaign manager used to work for a Linux company? The same guy that runs all his servers on open source? The same guy that named a DNC website "DemZilla"? That Howard Dean?"

The guy who's political party you fund when you buy software?

Yeah!

That Howard Dean!

[Golden Eagle]

Microsoft's multimillion dollar investment in China

Pittance compared to what other companies are investing. They're not giving software away to Fidel Castro and the Vietcong though, which is what you support.

[Golden Eagle]

Your own links showed Microsoft gave more to Republicans overall the last few elections. Can't you ever get anything right?

[FLAMING DEATH]

Those other companies aren't investing MY dollars, though.

Put your money where your mouth is.

[goldstategop]

The story states this flaw can be exploited if you do NOT have an antivirus program/firewall on your computer. If you have one, then you are protected against a browser exploit.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Golden Eagle]

ROFL, because you don't HAVE any dollars. That's why you politic right along with Howard Dean and the U.N. for free software for the world.

http://www.iosn.net/